PARIS – Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos’ English-language debut The Lobster has caught French star Lea Seydoux (Blue Is the Warmest Color), Brits Ben Whishaw (Skyfall) and Olivia Colman (I Give It a Year) and Australian Jason Clarke (The Great Gatsby) for its international cast.

The unusual romantic drama is set in a dystopian future where singles are forced to find a partner in 45 days or they are turned into animals and released into the woods. Before he can be transformed, a man escapes into the loners’ woods.

The script is penned by Efthymis Filippou, who previously collaborated with Lanthimos on their Oscar-nominated thriller Dogtooth, which snagged a best foreign film nom in 2009, and 2011’s ghost-story drama Alps.